Canada Energy Strategy MIA?

By Keith Edmund White

Editor-in-Chief

From today's Hill Times report on how regionalization may be hurting Canada's energy strategy.

The key criticism of Canada energy strategy according to the out-of-power Liberals:

Liberal natural resources critic David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Ont.) said that regional divisions will continue to emerge with each new mega project without a national energy strategy in place.

“I don’t care if it’s Keystone, Northern Gateway, Nexen, or a West-East pipeline. These are flashpoints that will continue to arise, issue by issue. Because we don’t have a serious roadmap and strategy on Canada’s energy future, we’re going to continue to flip flop around like fish on a dock,” said Mr. McGuinty. “This is not going to stop. We’re going to jump from ice flow to ice flow because the Harper government doesn’t want to have an adult conversation about choices.”

What Canada may be jeopardizing:

[Natural Resources Minister Joe] Oliver has stated that resource development could generate $500-billion in investment over the next decade, contributing to the revenue base for social programs, health, and education, but Prof. Arvai said that it’s impossible to make sound policy decisions unless the goals and objectives of the development are clear.

But I find three wrinkles of the story more interesting than its overall thrust:

• NDP Moving to the Center?  Note the NDP critic carefully positioning the paty as both the pro-energy & pro-environment party.
• Liberals Trying to Out Pro-Energy Both Harper and the NDP?  Note Liberal natural resources critic David McGuinty hard take against what he portrays as the Harper government's failure to coordinate energy projects in Canada
• The Missing Link?  Isn't the real problem here Canada's constitutional division of powers?  Section 92 of the the Constitution Act assigns exclusive law-making powers to Canada's provinces when it comes to (1) natural resource exploration and (2) the "development, conservation and management of non-renewable natural resources...in the province..."
• Why Hit On This Now?  And, wait for it, aren't all these projects on a bumpy course to approval over the next 1-3 years?  If so, isn't this a losing issue for a parliamentary election 4 years off?